Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay has released a spoof on the "Most Interesting Man In The World" commercials as part of his NBA All-Star campaign. Posted by Ben Golliver.

NBA players campaigning to make the All-Star game on the internet is about as corny as it gets (leave it to the fans, media and teams), so when they do go out of their way to try to drum up support it's always best executed with a tongue-in-cheek flourish or a self-deprecating self-awareness.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay shows the world how that's done, with this successfully executed self-promotional All-Star campaign video that plays off of the famous Dos Equis "The Most Interesting Man in the World" television commercials. If you've been living under a rock for the last three years, the character in the commercials is basically Casanova crossed with Chuck Norris, in that he is alluring to women and able to do all sorts of impossible things simply because of his cool aura.

The plot is the same in Gay's spot, dubbed "The Most Interesting Man in the NBA," as he sits at a swank restaurant table surrounded by attractive females, swirling wine in a glass as a narrator lists off his humorous accomplishments. "Rudy once missed a dunk just to feel what it was like," the narrator says. "When Rudy shoots a three, he actually scores four points. His charm demands it." And then, "He slept through a game and scored a triple double."

The spot concludes with Gay stating, "I don't usually vote for All-Stars, but when I do, I vote for Rudy Gay. Keep voting, my friends."

Each game is made up of elements which help formulate the outcome. Monday through Friday, we'll bring you the elements from the night before's games in our own specialized version of the game recaps. It's not everything that happened, but it's an insight into what lead to the results you'll see in the box scores. This is the Game Changer.

THE BIG ONE: NEW YORK FIGURING OUT THE ROAD

They might not have beat someone by 55, but the Knicks got themselves a darn good road win in Portland Tuesday night, taking down the wounded Blazers 100-86.

But the story was really just how rough it is for the Blazers right now without Brandon Roy. Wesley Matthews is having a nice season and Nicolas Batum is good some nights, but just 86 points against the Knicks? It was obvious that Portland was missing someone that could pile up points in the second half. The Blazers tried to go to Aldridge, but the Knicks zeroed in there. Rudy Fernandez was there for some kick-outs, scoring 18, but it was all long jumpers for Portland. There was no isolation option. No players that could take over. It was kind of painful to watch such a promising team lose with so much talent in suits.

However, the Knicks picked up another nice road win. New York is now 12-8 on the road this season, which surpasses their road win total from all of last year. The Knicks are roped into the Carmelo Anthony stuff, but what's lost is how well their current small forward is playing. Chandler had 17 big points and came up large for the Knicks late in the game as well.

The Knicks have one of the best home court advantages in the league, but now they're figuring out the road. One of the many differences in this New York team from year's past.

GO-GO-GADGET LINES

Kevin Love dropped his sixth 20-20 game of the season with 20 points and 20 rebounds.

Aaron Afflalo had a career-high 31 on 11-14 shooting.

Nick Young scored a career-high 43 and went 4-4 from 3 in the third quarter.

Alonzo Gee had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Cavs. Doesn't sound impressive? Well his 12 points were 21 percent of his team's total output.

DENVER ERUPTS ON PHOENIX

Maybe the distractions were getting to them recently, but Tuesday the Nuggets put it all behind them as they beat up on the Suns 132-98.

Denver scored a combined 82 points in the second and third quarters as the Suns defense basically was them letting the Nuggets shoot wide open shots as they crossed their fingers hoping the shots didn't drop. Problem was, they did.

The Nuggets shot 56 percent from the field and made 37 free throws. Carmelo had 28 points, Aaron Afflalo a career-high 31 on 11-14 shooting and Ty Lawson and J.R. Smith combined for 31 on a combined 9-11 from the field.

Carmelo hasn't left Denver yet. And while he's there, we're still seeing glimpses of just how good of an offensive force the Nuggets can be. Of course it helps to be playing the Suns, but still, 82 points in two quarters is pretty impressive against anyone.

WASHINGTON TRIES TO LET SACTO WIN

It was like a lesson on how to blow a game. The Wizards led by eight with under a minute left. Led by six with 20 seconds left. Led by four with 10 seconds left. But not only did they turn the ball over, the Wizards took bad shots, missed free throws and basically, played all-around stupid basketball. It was kind of impressive, in a disaster film kind of way.

But in the end, Washington got it done behind Nick Young's 43 points. The Kings, being absolutely horrible, couldn't take advantage of about 25 opportunities to seize the victory and the Wizards took home a 136-133 overtime win. The was between two teams a combined 18-53 and it certainly showed.

L.A. BEATS CLEVELAND BY LIKE A MILLION

What's the box score look like for the loser after a 112-57 game?

The leading scorer for the Cavs was Alonzo Gee with 12. The starting five combined for 23 points, led by Manny Harris's eight. Mo Williams went 1-9, J.J. Hickson 1-8, Antwan Jamison 3-10 and Harris 2-8. The team shot 29.9 percent from the field. They turned it over 19 times.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

Kenyon Martin and Goran Dragic got into a weird little scuffle during the third quarter of Denver's win over Phoenix. For some reason, Martin grabbed Dragic, hugged him and wouldn't let him go. Dragic fought back like a little child trying to escape the grasp of his mother.

PARTING THOUGHT

During the Timberwolves-Spurs game, things got a little technical late in the game. With the Spurs up double-digits, the Wolves felt like they were getting the short end of the whistle. So they complained.

First, Corey Brewer got T'd. Then Darko Milicic got a tech from the same call. Then Kurt Rambis picked up two because of the same call. There's four T's. Just 10 seconds later, Kevin Love made a pretty demonstrative gesture toward the official and picked up a technical. Five T's in just 10 seconds, all handed out by Ken Mauer.

That's got to be some kind of record. Manu Ginobili on all the technical fouls: "It was awkward."

Each game is made up of elements which help formulate the outcome. Monday through Friday, we'll bring you the elements from the night before's games in our own specialized version of the game recaps. It's not everything that happened, but it's an insight into what lead to the results you'll see in the box scores. This is the Game Changer.

THE BIG ONE: LEBRON LEADS HEAT COMEBACK IN PORTLAND

I'm not sure what it is about Portland's Rose Garden this season. The stadium drew a brilliant stretch of play from Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard back in December, an offensive array I didn't think would be matched this season. Silly me, overlooking the team that dominates NBA coverage on a daily basis.

The Miami Heat strolled into the Rose City on Sunday night, and both Dwyane Wade and LeBron James topped Howard's effort. It was Wade early (he had 20 by halftime) and James late (he finished with 22 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter and overtime), ridiculous bookend performances to cap off an uneven, charged game for Miami.

The rumors about the bad body language, bench disputes and mistreatment of NBA officials? All true. LeBron James spanking himself after making a big three-pointer? Also, sadly, true. Miami plays spoiled and entitled basketball, there's no other way to put it, but they delivered on it, mounting a steady, overwhelming comeback in the last two minutes of regulation to force overtime, then crushing Portland's resolve in the final period.

While the Blazers had two Andre Miller jumpers in the last 10 seconds of regulation to win it, it wasn't meant to be, and the home team found itself scratching its collective head, proud of the defensive job it had done on James and Wade and knowing it hadn't quite been enough.

I recently wrote off James as an MVP candidate this season, based mainly on the idea that he had poisoned the well, but the final seven minutes of his performance on Sunday showed that he is not only the best basketball player in the country, but that he is continuing to do it his way, regardless of the repercussions or response. As boos rained down, James soaked it in, raising his arms to the crowd and mugging as he poured in big shot after big shot.

God save us all if he ever wins a title.

GO-GO-GADGET LINES OF THE NIGHT:

LeBron James: 44 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 46 minutes in a Miami Heat road win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Dwyane Wade: 34 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 43 minutes in a Miami Heat road win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
LaMarcus Aldridge: 31 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in 45 minutes in a Portland Trail Blazers home loss to the Miami Heat.

Kevin Love: 18 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes in a Minnesota Timberolves road loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

COURTSIDE SCENE:

The stars come out when the Los Angeles Lakers play the New York Knicks, and here actor Denzel Washington and recording artist Will.I.Am rub shoulders with the Lakers' mysterious billionaire minority owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.

WHIMSY:

HIGHLIGHT REEL:

James decimated the Blazers late, but earlier in the game Portland's young French wing, Nicolas Batum, made a perfectly-timed, perfectly-clean block on a James lay-up attempt, much to the Rose Garden crowd's delight.

FINAL THOUGHT:

It may be time to unthink what we thought we knew in the Western Conference. With the Denver Nuggets poised to move Carmelo Anthony and the New Orleans Hornets coming back to Earth, what looked like a four team (Portland, Memphis, Houston, Phoenix) race for the final playoff spot has now expanded into a six team race for the bottom three slots. You might even be able to throw the Golden State Warriors into the mix as well, and call it a seven-team race.

The Boston Celtics escaped from the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, Kevin Martin put up an absurd shooting performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, Blake Griffin dunked and dunked and dunked, and Birdman's tattoos got spotted up close. Posted by Ben Golliver.

Each game is made up of elements which help formulate the outcome. Monday through Friday, we'll bring you the elements from the night before's games in our own specialized version of the game recaps. It's not everything that happened, but it's an insight into what lead to the results you'll see in the box scores. This is the Game Changer.

THE BIG ONE: CELTICS ESCAPE FROM SPURS

The last few minutes in Boston were beautiful chaos, as the unexpected kept happening in a wild finish between two of the league's premier teams: the Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs. When the dust settled, the Celtics held on for a 105-103 victory, but it wasn't without fireworks.

The Spurs, down nine points late, mounted a furious, and somewhat lucky, comeback thanks to a Manu Ginobili three, a Tony Parker steal-to-layup finish and two Richard Jefferson free throws. Up two with the ball, the Celtics ran the clock, turning the ball over to their late-game savant, Paul Pierce.

Pierce missed the game-icer, but the smallest guy on the court, Celtics guard Nate Robinson, not only came out with the rebound but intelligently shuffled it to Ray Allen, one of the league's premier foul shooters. With less than 10 seconds left on the clock, the Spurs were forced to foul Allen, a career 89.4% free throw shooter, who inexplicably missed both free throws that also would have iced it.

Matt Bonner then secured the defensive rebound for the Spurs, who quickly took timeout to diagram a final, potentially game-winning play. Everyone in the building knew it was going to Manu Ginobili, who had multiple game-winning plays in December, and that included Pierce, who expertly contested a Ginobili jumper at the buzzer, blocking it cleanly without fouling. Rajon Rondo, who finished with an absurd triple-double (see below) then did his best Magic Johnson impersonation, tossing the ball high in the air to burn out the rest of the clock. Ballgame, Celtics.

The result was a little evidence supporting a conclusion made by Celtics center Kendrick Perkins: it will be extremely difficult to beat this group in a seven-game series. Even without Perkins and starting power forward Kevin Garnett, the Celtics managed to make multiple heady, playoff-type plays while in the process of throwing a game away. Robinson's rebound and dish, Pierce's defense and Rondo's clock killing are the kind of time/score plays that come naturally to a tested team, but pretenders always seem to mess up.

WHIMSY:

HIGHLIGHT REEL:

We're getting used to Blake Griffin throwing down, but this one-handed tomahawk alley oop jam after leading a 2-on-1 break with Clippers point guard Baron Davis was pretty filthy. And the fact that the break was started by DeAndre Jordan, who apparently blocked a shot with his elbow, is even better.

FINAL THOUGHT:

Since these posts continue to turn into all Blake Griffin all the time, here's Griffin talking about being selected for the NBA's Slam Dunk contest, as quoted by TheRookieWall.com. “I think I’m just gonna try and get up as high as possible and throw it down as hard as possible. You know, put a little show in there, put a little pizazz and see what we can come out with. Hopefully I’ll have the home court advantage, but I don’t know, we got a lot of good guys in there so I’m definitely going to try to play into that a little bit. I’ve got a few things up my sleeve. I’m not showing them yet.”

Banning bourree, Gilbert and J.J. are pale riders, and Kevin Love doesn't exactly sound set for the long-term in Minnesota, all in today's Shootaround. Posted by Matt Moore

Just in case you missed it, O.J. Mayo appears to not have the best head on his shoulders, as he started an altercation with Tony Allen, which Allen then promptly finished by pummeling the third-year guard. No disciplinary action has been leveed against either player, and none is expected to be. The NBA has got to step in and ban gambling on planes. It's unfortunate that the players have to be treated like children but given the history of incidents stemming from gambling fights over bourree, there's simply no excuse not to ban it.

The Warriors waived Rodney Carney. You know how good the Warriors' offense is? they just cut a guy shooting 46% from 3-point land. They're bleeding shooters. Not as much as they're bleeding on defense, but still.

Lost in the talk of Love, Rose, and Westbrook joining up was this choice quote from Love's SI interview: "We'll see what happens with what David Kahn and the front office want to do," Love said. "If it's right, it's right. If it's not, it's not. I could end up somewhere else. I just want to play for a team that wants to win at this point. At this point, I just want to win now." Now, Wolves fans will say that this is they typical New York media (I'm not) talking about a star ditching his team (I'm not), despite the fact that he's starting to have success in Minnesota (he's not). Love's relationship with the front office has been strained since the installation of David Kahn and Kurt Rambis, and just because he's getting minutes, that's probably not enough to satisfy Love. Love's got quite the history of comments about a distrust with the front office.

Udonis Haslem is pushing for a March return . An issue to consider is whether Haslem will be able to effectively work his way into the rotation in time for the playoffs. If the Heat are (still) rolling, there's no reason to disrupt a lineup rotation that's working.

Super trios are all the rage in basketball these days. Or at least the idea of forming one is. And I guess the place to hatch the plan is overseas.

That's rumored to be where Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James decided to come together back in 2008. During the Beijing Olympic games, the three made a pact to join forces. And according to a story from Sports Illustrated, three other young stars talked about doing something similar in Turkey during the World Championships.

All three are eligible for long-term extensions this summer. Maybe they plan on doing the same thing Bosh, Wade and LeBron did when they all added in a player option on the fifth year so that way they can opt out and look for the best situation.

Obviously all three teams the players play for now will absolutely look to lock them up for a good while. For a time, Love's future in Minnesota looked uncertain, but according to the SI story, Love will be in line for a max extension. Rose will likely garner one as well. And with the way Westbrook is playing, he might be getting the big payday too.

But what if they are really serious about playing together? Like Love alluded to, when will that time come? Westbrook and Love are former teammates, having played together at UCLA where they went to a Final Four. Rose is one of Westbrook's very good friends and evidently good pals with Love too.

The first question is, could Westbrook and Rose actually play together? It's really not that much different from Wade and LeBron honestly, except that Westbrook is five inches shorter than LeBron. But really, Westbrook is almost the same player except a little smaller and technically he plays a different position. Rose is similar to Wade except that he plays point guard. It might take some work but that would be about as fast and dynamic a backcourt as you'll ever see.

And of course then add in Kevin Love who is probably every bit as good as Bosh and you've got quite the core. Maybe it's not as super as the group in Miami but in five years? Westbrook, Love and Rose might be as equally household superstar names as Wade, Bosh and LeBron.

It's unlikely there's a fit for all three to join up, but Love and Westbrook could realistically pair up, most likely with the Thunder. Oklahoma City has some cap space coming up and with the uncertain situation of Jeff Green, there could be an opportunity there to snag Love. But that, or the combination of the three, is of course is a long way off from happening. And there's a darn good chance it never actually comes to fruition. Love was probably just talking -- as he tends to do -- and said how the three discussed how fun it would be. Right now Westbrook and Rose are in pretty good situations themselves so I'm sure they are thinking about any kind of ultimate trio at this point.

However, just for kicks let's assume that Oklahoma City is the "South Beach" all these guys take their talents to. Love, Westbrook, Rose and Kevin Durant? That would be an okay team I think.

Kendrick Perkins pretty much guarantees a Boston Celtics title, Michael Jordan visits David Letterman almost 20 years ago, Kevin Love sets some more rebounding records, Allen Iverson has his paper straight and Delonte West will remain on the shelf for longer than he had hoped. Posted by Ben Golliver.

Celtics center Kendrick Perkins tells Yahoo! Sports that Boston would have beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's NBA Finals had he not injured his knee. He also says no one can touch the Celtics in a series this year. “In seven games I don’t think we can be beat by any team,” he said. “Too deep. Too much experience. Too many hard-working guys. Too many guys that have a chip on their shoulder.”

Washington Wizards forward Andray Blatche, who was involved in a nightclub fight with teammate JaVale McGee in December that led to some talk of him being traded, admitted to the Washington Post that the rumors are affecting his play. "That bothers me some," Blatche said. "But that's the name of the game. I just gotta keep trucking along with it."

Boston Celtics guard Delonte West was super ambitious in his hope to return to the court quickly after injuring his wrist earlier this season, but Celtics President Danny Ainge says West's return isn't expected until near the All-Star break in February, according to ESPNBoston.com.

Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus with an interesting note: "History suggests that the best teams should have already separated themselves from the pack. Over the six seasons since the NBA realigned for the 2004-05 campaign, 83.3 percent of the teams that led their division as of New Year's Day have gone on to win at least a share of the division title. Via Basketball-Reference.com, all six eventual division champions were on top on Jan. 1, 2010."

Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty on Tyreke's halfcourt winner: "This game deserves fuller analysis than the hot mess of exclamation marks and OMGs I can produce tonight. This play was only the final of Evans' incredible heroics, as the guard came up with two steals and, including the winner, seven points in final two minutes. Cousins was also fantastic, finishing with 20 points and 16 rebounds to help the Kings keep pace with a Memphis team leaning on 35 points from Zach Randolph. A personal MVP is Donte Greene, who as you can see knew the shot was going in as soon as Tyreke let it fly."

Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: "It's not uncommon for a few of the Kings to take turns attempting halfcourt shots after practice with nothing more than pride or perhaps a few dollars on the line. Rarely, if ever, is that halfcourt practice expected to come in handy in a game. The Kings learned Wednesday night that practice -- even practicing the unlikely -- can pay off in a game that counts. Tyreke Evans made a shot from beyond halfcourt -- about 50 feet from the hoop -- to give the Kings a 100-98 win at the buzzer over the Memphis Grizzlies at Arco Arena. Evans jumped onto the scorers' table to celebrate. Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof knelt behind officials reviewing the play and celebrated when the shot was confirmed to have beaten the buzzer. 'I've won a couple dollars off that shot,' Evans said. 'We practice it after shootaround in the morning sometimes and I'm glad we do that.' "

Marcin Gortat isn't loving Phoenix's defense: “I just think we have to be at the gym every day for three hours,” Gortat continued. “Learn the rotations, learn everything from the beginning. I mean, there are so many things we’re doing bad, I just can’t find an explanation. I’m trying to get some rebounds and stops, but unfortunately there’s not too many opportunities for me to rebound because the team is scoring 120-something points. “It’s just frustrating; frustrating as hell. I’m not going to lie.”

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe on KG's injury: "As Kevin Garnett screamed in frustration, limping on the leg that he has so feverishly tried to revive over the past 18 months, the pain in his voice, the sweat mixed with tears, should have been a message to those healthy big men who have spent this season on the inactive list. Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal will have to compensate for Garnett, who sustained a muscle injury near the right calf and will undergo an MRI today in Boston. While coach Doc Rivers said he is 'not that concerned,' the injury could cost Garnett a few games, or even a few weeks, given the cautious nature of the organization regarding injuries."

Kate Fagen of The Philadelphia Inquirer says things are good in Philly right now: "The 76ers' locker room hasn't been this happy in years. After Wednesday night's 123-110 run-and-gun win over the Phoenix Suns, there was laughter, jokes, and even a visit from musician John Mayer and actor B.J. Novak of NBC's The Office . Wednesday's win was about as unexpected as they come - not necessarily the victory itself, but the way the Sixers pulled it off. They outscored the scoring-happy Suns. Who'd have figured that? The Sixers, without Andre Iguodala, improved to 13-19. The Suns, led by Steve Nash with 23 points and 15 assists, dropped to 13-17."

It's not looking like the Bobcats will be changing their name, says Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "As much as some of you would prefer a name change from the Bobcats, that isn't a widespread concern, based on the team's recent market research. Pete Guelli, who heads the Bobcats' marketing, told me the team's recent market study showed no groundswell for a name change."